When you're a true music
addict, discovering fresh sonic intoxicants is a real
thrill. We used to look forward to a trip to the
record store (and sometimes we still do) but
unfortunately that trip has been replaced with a
computer and internet access. Whatever the discovery
method, finding new music that captures something
inside of you is a grand experience. Now, finding a
record that doesn't sound like the rest of the stack
you've amassed lately, well, that's even more
special. The James Blake album is just like that (it
has been for us anyway). His music is both familiar
and new at the same time, as Blake sounds at times like he's
paying homage to classic soul, but does it
with a modern electronic music aesthetic.

It's difficult to pigeon
hole this album (though it's our job for the most
part—finding a way to classify the music we are
describing). This album falls under the dubstep
classification, but when I'm discussing the sound
with someone unfamiliar with the genre (and there
are tons of music fans out there currently unaware
of this music) I usually say something like "it
sounds like edgy, stripped down electronic R&B."
When I say edgy I don't mean course, I mean
it sounds like now. It's symphonic, but has an
organic energy about it, and while the sound itself
does not vary greatly throughout the album, it's
drive-y and addictive. It's mellow, but has
incredible energy in the lower bass. I brought the
album to a friend's house recently and he kept
referring to the power and weight in the "LFE". I must
admit we've been listening to this record perhaps a
bit more than we should lately. You know what it's
like when you find a new album and you play it to
death, only to get burned out on it too fast and you
regret it later? Well, no regret thus far with James
Blake!

From the initial synth
stabs and drum clicks of "unluck" you realize
here that you
are in for something a little different. The
vocals are soulful (with a touch of auto-tuning
during the chorus) but are incased in melodic,
bare-bones electronic pads. The music is metronomic
without sounding too repetitive (haters of this type
of music may not get it, but it's all in the eye of
the beholder). "The Wilhelm Scream" continues the
soulful groove; also surrounded by symphonic clicks,
bleeps, and stabs. Blake gets personal on "I Never
Learnt To Share" opening the song with lyrics
stating "my brother and my sister don't speak to me,
but I don't blame them". He repeats this statement
over and over again like a mantra. Is this a musical
attempt at self-healing? Who knows? Isn't that what
most art is after, a way of coping with the world
around us? This particular song invoked a feeling of
intimacy in the record and I felt an instant
connection to the artist. He flexes his
robotic vocal skills on "Lindisfarne I" and "Lindisfarne
II". The sound is like Daft Punk on valium, complete
with further rhythmic clicks and pops. There's just
something inherently modern about this record. It
just sounds like a slice of my generation caught on
tape (or, more likely, a hard-drive).

"Limit to Your Love"
will show you what your system is capable of in the
lowest depths (or not for that matter). The sound
modulates beautifully, like an ocean of low end that
wavers and then settles, creating a constant stream
of floor-rattling bass. I've heard this song on
systems that rolled off far too early and others
that shook the foundations. This is going to be a track
I take to Hi-Fi shows to see if some of those 100k
systems can handle it. If they can't, I say take
your expensive gear and go back to the drawing
board, because this is what the magic of great music
and Hi-Fi is all about! "Measurements", the album's
closer, is neo-soul through and through. Remember D'Angelo's Voodoo album? Think of that record
but as if it were produced today. This is Blake
paying homage to soul music with his own sonic
signature. This album is something to behold. Even
during its sparse moments there is beauty buried
within this record, and it makes for terrific
late-night listening sessions with your friends. If
this music sounds up your alley, pop the cork on
that bottle of wine or spark up whatever...just do you gotta
do to get loose and toss this album in your stereo
system. You'll be happy you took the James Blake
journey.